(I had a picture of Betsy that I had put here, but for some reason I got a message that said it was a link that wasn't allowed. Photobucket not allowed? Since when?)
Betsy says, "Welcome to the world, little longear!"
I can't begin to say what color your baby girl is, or will be, but she looks like she may be what the donkey folks call NLP, meaning No Light Points (like Betsy.)
Owning this mini mule has been a revelation! She came to me at about 9 years old, after apparently years of being nothing but a pasture ornament. Everything has been slow going, because we had to work through layers and layers of defensiveness and mistrust. We still have moments when we disagree, but I think she's as attached to me as I am to her, and I wouldn't trade her for the world!
Mules have rather funny voices. The sound they make sorta starts out like a whinny, then finishes like the last few sounds of a bray. I liken Betsy's bray to a cross between the shriek of a train whistle and the squeal of a very large pig! In addition, she may grunt, whimper, produce very soft whinnies like a zebra, or make long, drawn out, wavering squeaks, much like slowly letting air out of a balloon! Mealtimes call out the full force of her repertoire, and always make me smile.
Betsy is a quick study, which I hear is typical of mules. I make sure she understands what I want, and wait for her to decide to do it. I have to be careful to keep the pressure to a minimum, because the harder I push, the harder she resists. Once she has learned something, it quickly becomes "old hat." I find that I mustn't do too much repetition with her, or she gets bored and her whole attitude sours. I can just hear her thinking "WHY are we doing this again?!"
Your baby's mane may be upright like a donkey's or longer, like a horse's. Betsy's is a bit in-between. You can trim it long, trim it short, or even buzz it completely off, anything goes in mule hair styles! IMO, Betsy's mane looks best when trimmed about 3" long, it gets bushy and ratty looking if I let it get any longer. She does have a forelock, but it's short, like a donkey. Mule tails usually have shorter hairs on the dock, longer hairs further down, more like a horse than a donkey (which has a tail rather like a cow.) Once again, just how the tail is trimmed is a matter of personal taste, there are some fancy ways to trim 'em if they have enough hair.
Congratulations on your little beauty, she's adorable!
